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A Bizarre Endangered Acer (Maple) Species

13 years ago

Found in a few remote and mountainous provinces of Central China, the critically endangered maple species has strange, possibly ever-green, leaves and large scarlet fruits.

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Comments (12)

Embothrium
13 years ago
There are multiple species of maples with simple, evergreen leaves.
denninmi
13 years ago
Wow, the photo is stunning.

Am I safe in assuming that this plant, even if available, would be restricted to only certain regions, probably with very mild winters and coolish summers, thus not growing here.
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eukaryote, thanks for the source on the Poliothyrsis, I'll check it out. Thanks also to lucky_p for the info on the Macludrania, I had read a similar story somewhere and figured that the best way to investigate it would be to try and find one. Not to mention that such a hybrid may have worthy ornamental attributes, especially if sterile. I would be interested in seeing that article. Another neat intergeneric would be the purported crosses between Juglans and Pterocarya, but I have never heard even a whisper of them ever being offered or even evaluated. brandon7, to answer your question, well... I think my property in the western finger lakes region of upstate new york gives me a good zone 5/6 area to evaluate some plants that may deserve wider attention. I have always had a passion for growing and collecting the unusual, and well, even the usual every day goodies. My primary interest is in native plants, especially those that are threatened or endangered which is why Neviusia cliftonii, Mespilus canescens, and Lindera melissifolia are on the list. I also have a large maple collection of species Acers (not a lot of cultivars) and am always eager to try out rare and unusual maples. Some examples that have done well that I couldn't find any zone information for before I purchased them are Acer pectinatum ssp. laxiflorum, A. robustum, and A. miaotaiense. They are all doing well and have survived -15F untouched. Ditto A stachyophyllum, which I have found to have good autumn color, but it's still small. I've already put together a substantial order for forestfarm, so unless they have updated in the last few days, they don't carry any of the above species. I think Greer might be wholesale. Arborvillage was one of my favorite sources, but now offer only a fraction of what they have in the past, many of which I saw nowhere else. River Rock has never returned my inquiries, which is unfortunate because the one pricelist they had (have?) online had many rare maples that I am having trouble locating elsewhere. I havn't checked out colvos creek in some time and need to do so, I purchased an Acer lobelii there a couple years ago that is doing amazing. Thanks for the info and suggestions, please keep it coming!
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Lou, you are correct on the ID. Acer Acer pentaphyllum. Very rare, and VERY VERY endangered species. There may only be one small wild population left in a very small area that is not at all well protected. These are seed grown, germinated in March of this year. They are probable not cold hardy here, but then again I don't think anybody really knows how cold hardy they are. Probable because they are so rare that nobody wants to risk it. I intent to keep one that will spend winters in my garage, and then one might go to the local botanical garden, and the rest will eventually end up in warmer climes. hair, I agree the leaves are different on Bailsta, To me they look kinda "smoothed out" with with muted lobes, edges etc. The Commemoration has a much more classic Sugar Maple leaf shape to me. With SM I get a single very rapid flush of growth in the spring, and then they are done for the year. This flush can be enhanced with a strong shot of nitrogen at the proper time, and I in fact do this. I found a research paper from a couple decades ago that showed SM responded well to this, without adverse effects on wood strength, density, etc. But I'm careful not to over do it, as too much can contribute to disease/insect problems. I certainly do not use as much as tree farms to get the amount of growth that they can get in a year (it can be seen in the branching and bark for the last few years if you know what to look for). At this point I am likely done with fertilizer for this year even for the lawn. Seems to interfere with fall color. ghostlyvision, Lou, Elektron, Glad you like the pics that John and I was able to provide. GV aren't you in SE Texas somewhere. I remembered Lou moved toward Houston. Elektron IIRC is near San Antonio. Looks there some real good rain down you way last week. Been rooting for west Ok, and Texas to get well watered. It certainly benefits me if you do, because that helps keep that hell ridge away, and that is good for all of us. whass, Yes fairly strongly acidic soil as is most places in my area. IIRC the pH was in the 5.5-6.0 range. You would not expect this knowing that the hills around are made of mostly limestone, but we also have fairly high precip resulting in generally acidic soils. And you are correct, that is Cornus kousa Wolfeyes that will eventually be shaded by the Bailsta. I was looking at ordering a small graft last year of "Summer Fun" or "Wolfeyes". So late in about September after the worst of summer had past, I was at a local nursery, and it so happened that they had both of these in B&B in similar size, and basically in full sun all summer. The Wolfeyes had a very small amount of burn, the Summer Fun had much more burn, so I bought a 1 yr graft of Wolfeyes. October rolls around, and at another nursery I do not frequent, and they had 10 B&B Wolfeyes that were fantastic, had not sold any all year, and they badly wanted to make me a deal to buy one. And the rest is history as you can see. So far it has no burn in full sun, but it was only planted last fall, and we have not yet hit the demanding time of our climate. July and August will tell the story. But so far so good, and I am hopeful because I know I will take better care of it, than the nursery that I saw both WE and SF at last year. Below are a couple pics of the Wolfeyes taken a couple weeks ago. Arktrees This post was edited by arktrees on Sun, Jun 1, 14 at 12:56
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The RGBE multisite search shows no living holdings. Translation: pretty damn rare in the West. GIven that a mix up at a respected non-profit institution already occurred, I would think skepticism as to whether Piroche had the real thing is warranted. BTW thanks for the story on their shutdown, bboy. It underscores what I've said earlier, that wholesale nurseries have faced condemnation because of SOD problems in the past, which I think someone else had broadly characterized as being alarmist. The real truth is that the industry is doing it's darndest not to alarm people. Here is a link that might be useful: http://rbg-web2.rbge.org.uk/multisite/multisite3.php
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I was fortunate to view the interesting plant Dipteronia sinensis at Quarryhill Arboretum at Sonoma, CA this past spring. With only a casual glance one would think it was a negundo or henryi. Quarryhill Botanical Garden is a non-profit botanical garden dedicated to advancing the conservation, study, and cultivation of the temperate Flora of Asia. It is a very interesting place to visit. Their collection is at the most only 15 years old, so plants are very young. It will be a spectacular place to visit in 15 years! Their website hosts a very useful Database of Asian Plants in Cultivation. It allows you to find Arboretums throughout the US that have a particular plant. http://www.calacademy.org/research/...yhill/index.asp
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salicaceae
13 years ago
...is a similar species of evergreen maple from China. It grows well here in Florida and even though leaves were damaged by cold, the buds and stems look fine. There are several other species - oblongum, coriaceifolium etc. growing in Orlando.
snasxs
Original Author
13 years ago
... It is said to be a lovely small maple of 10 meters (30 ft) high.

It is a unique type if not a unique species, which is currently placed under A fabri.

They are from temperate region: remote regions in the provinces of Hunan, Hupei and Jiangxi. It is said that these are hardy and they could be deciduous. The allowable zones are 5 through 10. In colder regions, the old leaves fall in winter.

It tolerates shade. Seedlings take at least 5 years before first bloom. They bloom in May and the flowers are red. The fruits last for extended period from May to almost the spring of the second year. The redness of the fruits deepens over the entire period. The fruits put up a spectacular show - they are mistaken as flowers by most people.

Although it has long been listed as interesting and endangered, it only receives attention rather recently.
snasxs
Original Author
13 years ago
A. fabri was discovered in 1844 by Henry Fletcher Hance. A. fabri grows well in zone 7 in the UK.

On a warm winter day:
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Show some chlorosis in zone 7, if the soil is alkaline.

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Embothrium
13 years ago
Hardiness in USDA 7 doubtful. Not likely to be hardy much below 0 degrees F., which it would have to be to persist in Zone 7 (0 to 10 degrees F. is the average low seen in Zone 7, not the lowest temperature). Unless hot summers of some climates harden the wood enough to make it surprisingly hardy.

Able to be cultivated only in the mildest localities, it is grown mainly as a greenhouse plant and then as a collector's item...Zone 7 (Europe 8)

-- Maples for Gardens (1999, Timber Press)
snasxs
Original Author
13 years ago
bboy,

There are many variations. They all have different habit; such as:

Acer fabri Hance var. dolichophyllum Fang et S. Y. Liang
Acer fabri Hance var. gracillimum Fang
Acer fabri Hance var. megalocarpum Hu et Cheng
Acer fabri Hance var. rubrocarpum Metc.
Acer fabri Hance var. tongguense Z. X. Yu
Acer fabri Hance var. virescens Fang

Do you know which one the book "Maples for Gardens" describes?
snasxs
Original Author
13 years ago
The UK website (shoot gardening) says Fabri's Maple likes:

Soil types: Chalky, Clay, Loamy, Sandy (will tolerate most soil types)

Soil drainage: Moist but well-drained, Well-drained

Soil pH: Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

Light: Partial Shade, Full Sun

Aspect: North, South, East, West

Exposure: Sheltered

Hardiness: Hardy (H4)
salicaceae
13 years ago
It is definitely being grown in the SE in zone 8 and maybe lower. I wouldn't be surprised to find it growing in NC or Atlanta.....I can't comment on hardiness yet, but it seems to like heat and humidity.
botann
13 years ago
I sure would like to grow it!

Colorful seeds, and it being evergreen are big assets!

Mike
greenlarry
13 years ago
Hmm, nice tree! Would take a cutting of that! ;)
davecreech
13 years ago
We've had good luck with Acer fabri. Fully evergreen, dramatic red samaras, and has tolerated 10 degrees F with little damage. We also have A. cinnamomifolium which has also performed well (plenty of seedlings this year and they germinated readily without stratification. Our summers are hot with temps above 100 degrees F common. Our trees are in part shade.

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